Optimism for Bulgaria

In that vision, the whole region has become a magnet for creative people building businesses that espouse slow consumption, honor traditional crafts, and promote a sustainable use of resources—and for visitors embracing those values. In that environment, guests and locals exchange experience and bond over shared meals of Smilyan beans and other local delicacies.

The Nadezhda bookstore in Plovdiv’s Trakia neighborhood is a special place. Everything from the positive name—nadezhda in Bulgarian means hope—to the welcoming interior and friendly staff is designed to make you feel at home. Inside you are not just a customer but a dear guest who is greeted by the biggest smiles you have seen and offered a small souvenir with a message—a small token of gratitude for your patronage.

It is the go-to resource for socio-economic analyses on Bulgaria’s regions. Whether you are an investor looking at Gabrovo’s engineering potential, a local planner in Ruse interested in attracting educational investment, or an expansion-minded business in search of areas with low taxation, efficient local administration, and a qualified workforce, the Regional Profiles of the Institute for Market Economics (IME) are your first stop.

There are six times as many university graduates and twice as many high school graduates in the country’s Roma community than there were a decade ago, and school attendance has improved among all age groups.

Mariana Barakchieva has programmed eye surgery software, worked in radio, done broadcasts for TV networks in Bulgaria and the United States, managed a mountain shelter in the Swiss Alps, and pulled off daring rock-climbing feats.

MindFit would give employees access to at least two therapy sessions per month with a psychotherapist of their choice from MindFit’s expanding network of mental wellness professionals.

The America for Bulgaria Foundation welcomes two new directors—Lidl CEO Milena Dragijska-Dencheva and longtime Bulgaria friend Ambassador Roderick Moore. Ms. Dragijska-Dencheva and Ambassador Moore joined the ABF Board of Directors in January 2021.

They help Bulgarians navigate administrative complexity, access public tenders, learn more effectively, and discover their country’s best-kept secrets. They are civil society organizations, small businesses, schools, and media outlets working on solutions benefiting their fellow Bulgarians’ lives.

With DarPazar, you are not just purchasing extra special gifts, you are also supporting the dreams of a disadvantaged fellow Bulgarian.